This invention relates generally to data processing systems for gathering and compiling data for marketing purposes. More particularly, this invention relates to an interactive data processing system that induces customers of a restaurant, store or other business or organization to enter information about themselves and their preferences into the system. The system uses the information to generate promotional messages such as mailings for the business tailored to specific customers.
Mass mailings of promotional offers are a common technique for luring potential customers into a business. From pizza restaurants to dentists, businesses inundate people with "junk" mail in an effort to induce patronage. Because most of these mailings are blind, a positive response rate of as little as 2 to 3% is considered successful. Some businesses such as car repair more effectively target potential repeat customers because they have a list of customers' names, addresses and nature of work performed. But even these businesses have little information about a customer's preferences. And other businesses such as restaurants and retail stores often do not even have a list of their customers' names. For these businesses, mass mailings may rarely justify the cost.
Thus in mail marketing the most important factor is the quality of the business's mail list. Ideally, a mail list should include satisfied customers and information about their likes and dislikes so that promotions can be carefully tailored to the right customers. Such tailoring means fewer mailings and lower cost. The savings can be used for sending first class invitations rather than third class postcards; a personal invitation is more likely to be opened, read and considered positively.
Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide an effective way for businesses to gather and compile information on their customers for tailored promotional mailings. More particularly, an object of this invention is to provide an interactive system that induces customers, while at the business, to enter personal data and to answer survey questions. This information may then be used by the business for tailoring its promotional mailings, such as birthday offers, food specials, etc. New customers to the business are continually added to the mail list by the virtue of their patronage.